KIngston >> The two men who made a local stop Tuesday afternoon hoped their message had as much teeth as the metal dinosaur sculpture overlooking the intersection of Broadway and Col. George Chandler Drive.

Matthew Edge and Matthew Hillyer, from the group Money Out of Politics, tied a banner that read “Cuomo, No More Empty Promises on Fair Elections” to artist Steve Heller’s sculpture as a way to bring attention to the issue of fair elections and to press Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fulfill his promise to keep fair elections in the state budget.

The men said they were protesting “political posturing on the issue of campaign finance reform.”

“Politicians from (former Governors Eliot) Spitzer, (David) Patterson and now Cuomo are saying they want to increase the power of the little guy relative to big donors, and they say that publicly, but when push comes to shove, they don’t seem to be getting the job done,” Edge said.

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He said leaders like Cuomo are in power “because they can raise lots of money.”

“He’s raised over $33 million. It’s against his interest to bite the hand that feeds him, to bite the hand that has given him all that money,” Edge said.

The group Money Out of Politics, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street, aims to raise awareness by hanging banners in all 62 counties in the state. So far, its has brought the message to 58 of them.

Only the two men showed up at the Kingston event, but Hillyer said he’s confident the message is being well-received via a large social media audience.

“What we’re seeing is a groundswell in the digital age,” he said. “This message, through digital media, is really getting out there, and we’re seeing a lot of response.”

The governor’s office, in an email to the Freeman, responded: “If this group wants to actually accomplish their goal, they should focus on those who oppose them instead of attacking people who champion their cause.”

About the Author

Paula Ann Mitchell has been a multimedia journalist at the Freeman since March of 2010. She has an extensive background in television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Reach the author at pmitchell@freemanonline.com
or follow Paula Ann on Twitter: @anchoratfreeman.